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| It was started by the founder (I believe) of the Morton Salt Company. It grew to about 14-15,000 owned acres, most of it on the west side of the Illinois River at Havana and north of Rt 136. As I recall, it was first sold to some Italians In the seventies, then another owner or two. The last good owner was a Colorado guy, George(?) Gillette. Jerry Moss was the manager then, and actually added some rented ground, adding several thousand acres. They did a TON of testing for John Deere back then, they could run equipment back off the road where you could hardly see it. When Gillette got ready to sell it, a former Illinois, and then Florida, mobile home salesman by the name of Maurice Wilder paid an outrageous prices. He immediately trashed the place, turning a showplace into a sow’s ear. I don’t know who his manager was, Gerry left when Wilder bought it.
After a few Years, Wilder sold off all the equipment, which was pretty much junk by then. He sold a little over five thousand acres to the Nature Conservatory, and a little less to either National Wildlife Federation or another group. The last tract was auctioned off just a few years ago. It was south of the main farm a few miles. It certainly had a rich history.
One year after the Conservancy bought it, they had planted several thousand acres of wheat. A buddy and I combined the wheat. An old guy came around one morning and talked about the two lakes that had been there, and how if they dried up early enough, they got planted. There was even a small bunch of houses there. When the levees went in, all that changed. My buddy and I went to one field to check things out while the guys were cutting. We were missing a combine! WTF? Pretty soon, it climbed out of a draw that HAD been the original Illinois River channel.
There are Tons and tons more stories I’m sure. I think Havana would have some history about it, but as far as I know, they don’t. Another interesting story about that same area is Dickson Mounds. When I was a kid in school, we took field trips there and looked at all the excavations of Indian bones and artifacts. After political correctness came in twenty or so years ago, they filled it back up. I doubt they have crap for tourists there anymore, there is nothing to see. | |
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norris farm in ilinois from the 60s and 70s
